Gerald H. Thompson, 84, of Fitzgerald, Georgia, died Sunday, August 5, 2018, at Dorminy Medical Center in Fitzgerald.
Funeral services will be held 11 AM, Wednesday, August 8, 2018, at First Baptist Church in Fitzgerald with the Rev. Dr. Jerry Mahan, the Rev. Henry Tyson, and the Rev. Dr. Rusty Brock officiating. Interment will be private. The family will receive friends from 9:30 until the funeral hour in the sanctuary on Wednesday.
Mr. Thompson was born January 8, 1934, in Fitzgerald, Georgia, to the late Daniel & Serena Campbell Thompson. He was a 1952 graduate of Fitzgerald High School and an avid lifetime supporter of the Purple Hurricanes. As a child, his family was active in the Church of the Nazarene and his mother always made sure he was in attendance. He married the former Janet Eldridge, a preacher’s daughter, and was baptized in a family pond. He served as the song leader during their membership at Big Creek Baptist Church. In 1981, they joined First Baptist Church in Fitzgerald.
Mr. Thompson was instilled with a strong work ethic working after school and on Saturdays with his brother-in-law, E.Q. Downing, Jr. in the grocery and produce business. He served his country honorably in the Army National Guard as First Sergeant. He worked as a door-to-door salesman and debit collector for Independent Life Insurance Company. In 1965, he opened Thompson Insurance Agency and represented many major companies until selling the agency in 1987. Mr. Thompson worked in real estate investment and development and served as Vice-President for Community and Economic Development for Colony Bankcorp for 10 years.
Mr. Thompson was elected to City Council in 1965. Two years later, he was elected Mayor and would hold that title for 44 years, retiring in January 2012. One of his first initiatives was fulfilling a campaign pledge to build a railroad underpass to give emergency vehicles access to all of Fitzgerald. He also began immediately working with a dead-locked Council to accept federal funding to build a new integrated high school. In 1969, Council approved the plan that became a keystone to one of the most peaceful school integrations in the South. His push to expand Council led to the election of the City’s first black councilman. He also championed the move from an alderman-run city to professional management, making Council a policy making body. He was instrumental in recruiting community support for economic development leveraging private dollars with local government funding. He was successful in recruiting more than 50 manufacturers and businesses.
Throughout his tenure as Mayor, he was tapped to serve on over 20 regional and statewide boards and commissions and served the administrations of 6 Georgia Governors. He served as President and longtime Executive Board Member of the Georgia Municipal Association, being inducted into their Hall of Fame and being given their Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012. He also served the boards of the State Crime Commission, the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority and the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia. He was awarded many honors both local and statewide. He was a former Elk and Shriner, a member of the Fitzgerald Rotary Club, and a 50-year member of Pine level Lodge #190 F.&A.M. His longtime goal was a better way of life and economic opportunities for the citizens of Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, and all of Georgia.
He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Janet Eldridge Thompson of Fitzgerald; children, Rhonda Suzette Wright & Alvin of Fitzgerald and Jeffery Hugh Thompson of Fitzgerald; grandchildren: Amanda Thompson Shattles & Kenny, Dan Thompson & his fiancé Sherrie Carver, Laura Huggins Burgess & Kent, and Emily Huggins Burrell & Jason; great-grandchildren: James Nate Nichols, Emma Grace Thompson, Jason Charles “Jase” Burrell, Jr., Allman Thompson Burrell, Isabelle Jamieson Burrell, Lily Grey Burgess, and Vera Lynn Burgess. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his siblings: Doris Downing, Wylene Prescott, LaVerne McGuire, Vivian Griffin, Wallace Thompson, and Everett Thompson.
The family suggests those desiring to send memorials may send them to First Baptist Church, P.O. Box 367, Fitzgerald, GA 31750 or to the Christian Kitchen, P.O. Box 1195, Fitzgerald, GA 31750.